Who are the most important Falcons in 2024? Breaking down the top 10 (2024)

On Wednesday, we started counting down the most important Atlanta Falcons for the 2024 season, with left tackle Jake Matthews, wide receiver Rondale Moore and linebacker Troy Andersen among Nos. 20-11.

Today, we’ll finish the ranking with Nos. 10-1. Today’s list is heavy on offense — seven of 10 — because Atlanta is going to rely heavily on an offense taking up $148.1 million of its salary cap space. That’s the seventh-most spending in the NFL on offense, according to OverTheCap.com.

Let’s get to the list.

10. Tyler Allgeier, running back

Since he joined the NFL as Atlanta’s fifth-round draft pick in 2022, Allgeier is 11th in the league in yards after contact per rush (3.29), according to TruMedia. That’s one spot ahead of Kyren Williams, who has averaged 3.27 yards per carry after contact in the last two seasons. Williams emerged as a star in the Los Angeles Rams offense last year, and while Allgeier is not going to get the carry volume that Williams got in Los Angeles, he’s still going to get carries.

Allgeier is a favorite among his teammates because of his ball security (zero fumbles in two seasons), punishing running style, steady pass protection and quiet demeanor. Bijan Robinson will be the Falcons’ starting running back, but it would not be a surprise if Allgeier wins over the new coaching staff with the same traits as the season progresses.

9. Kaleb McGary, offensive tackle

The Falcons previous coaching staff re-signed McGary to a three-year, $34.5 million contract last offseason. One of the most interesting unanswerable questions surrounding this team is what the new staff would have done with McGary.

A first-round pick in 2019, McGary is a ferocious run blocker who has struggled at times in pass protection throughout his career, particularly against above-edge rushers. He was ranked 29th out of 32 starting right tackles by Pro Football Focus last season, although his overall pass-blocking grade (69.5) was not as rough as some Atlanta fans might have believed.

Arthur Smith’s run-heavy offense allowed the Falcons to paper over some of McGary’s faults, but the University of Washington product will not get the same protection in this offense.

The Falcons made a mammoth investment in free-agent quarterback Kirk Cousins, but it wasn’t because of Cousins’ mobility. McGary’s ability to improve the consistency of his pass protection will be one of the key factors in the success of an offense that is expected to put up big numbers.

8. Bijan Robinson, running back

Robinson could be a star so why is he only eighth on this list? He’s still a running back. The debate about whether or not the Falcons should have taken a running back in the top 10 is a year old now, and if there is an answer, it’s “no” at this point.

That’s not a knock on Robinson, who was dynamic at times and set the franchise’s rookie record for yards from scrimmage (1,463) in 2023, but it did not impact Atlanta’s win total one bit. And a running back is less valuable in the Falcons’ new offense than it was in the last one.

Robinson was seventh in the league last year among running backs with more than 100 carries in explosive rush percentage (gaining 12 or more yards on 9.8 percent of his carries). He needs to maintain that level and increase his ball security (four fumbles, three lost last season) and pass protection (56.8 grade from PFF in 2023) this season.

7. Arnold Ebiketie, linebacker

It’s time for Ebiketie to pay off the confidence Atlanta showed in him when it traded up to draft him 38th in 2022. But it’s not going to be easy.

The 6-foot-3, 256-pounder, who had six sacks last season, was drafted to be an outside linebacker and edge rusher in a 3-4 defense, so he should be comfortable in this system. He’s going to have to be.

WithCalais CampbellandBud Dupree gone in free agency, Ebiketie is the Falcons’ leading returner in sacks. If he can break the double-digit threshold this season, the Falcons might get their pass-rush problems turned around.

6. Darnell Mooney, wide receiver

The fifth-year pro is content being the No. 2 wide receiver in this offense behind Drake London, but it doesn’t sound like he will be content if he’s not getting the ball plenty. “I don’t want to even speak about what I’m going to do, just go out there and do it, go out there and dominate,” Mooney said.

Cousins believes the former Chicago Bear can do that. “Mooney has incredible movement skills, great hands, football matters to him,” Cousins said. “There is an intent to his work that you don’t see very often in players. Just thrilled with the player we got.”

Atlanta gave Mooney a three-year, $39 million deal in free agency because it is vital that it has a complement to London as it converts to a pass-centric offense. If Mooney can be that player, he’ll be well worth that deal.

5. Kyle Pitts, tight end

The Falcons’ new coaching staff is saying all the right things about Pitts.

“If we can get this guy going, we all know what he could be,” head coach Raheem Morris said.

“The sky’s the limit,” offensive coordinator Zac Robinson said.

But those things have been true the last three seasons as well, and the numbers are what they are – 149 catches, 2,049 yards and six touchdowns in three seasons. The knee injury that cost Pitts seven games in 2022 is a big part of the problem, but it’s not the only one. Even when on the field and healthy (or whatever percentage of healthy he was last season) Pitts has not lived up to Atlanta’s hopes when it selected him fourth in 2021.

The new offensive system should free up Pitts to unleash his athleticism more often, and that’s a good thing. The rest is up to him.

4. Jessie Bates, safety

The second-year Falcon and seventh-year pro isn’t worried about adjusting to a new defense. “On defense, it doesn’t matter what call is out there, don’t let them catch it, don’t let them score,” Bates said. “Our goal as a defense is to be top five in every single category.”

Bates will have to have another big year if that’s going to happen. He had a career-high and team-best six interceptions last year while also leading the team in tackles (132), forced fumbles (three), and passes defended (11).

3. Drake London, wide receiver

The former No. 8 pick enters his third professional season carrying a big chip on his shoulder. “Let’s just say I have a bad taste in my mouth,” London said. “I have to go out there and ball, that’s it. I know what I can do. I know what type of player I am.”

London has had a tough time showing that in his first two seasons, at least in some part due to inconsistent quarterback play from Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder. In the last two years, London is 36th in the league in receiving yards per game (53.7) and 52nd in receiving touchdowns (six), according to TruMedia.

No one on the roster figures to benefit more from the addition of Cousins, who is a fan of his new No. 1 weapon. “He kind of just looks open to your eyes because of his size and the way he runs routes, his catch radius, his hands, his fluidity,” Cousins said.

Now London has to prove that to everyone else.

2. Grady Jarrett, defensive tackle

Any list of the NFL’s most underappreciated players has to include Jarrett, the 10th-year defensive tackle out of Clemson. Jarrett has served well in Atlanta, mostly in obscurity, thanks to the Falcons’ lack of consistent success and overall defensive struggles. He has 34 career sacks and 114 quarterback hits while only being voted to two Pro Bowls and one All-Pro (second) team.

The Falcons took a hit on the field and in the locker room when he was lost in Week 8 last season from a torn ACL, but he’s expected to be back at full strength well before the start of this season. He’ll return more motivated than ever, too, insisting this offseason that he has not even begun to consider the end of his career yet.

“It’s good to have plans after football, but if your mind is in 20 different places, it’s going to be hard to really enjoy your time and give it everything you’ve got,” he said.

If Jarrett’s investment equals a return to anything like his full form, Atlanta will have a defensive line stalwart to build around.

1. Kirk Cousins, quarterback

In the context of the veteran quarterback’s importance to Atlanta’s season, there is not even a second place on this list. The Falcons gave Cousins the largest total value free agency contract in NFL history (four years worth up to $180 million) because they think he can take them to the Super Bowl. Washington and Minnesota before them decided exactly the opposite, which is why Cousins was on the market entering his 13th NFL season.

Since Cousins was drafted by Washington in 2012, he is 15th in the NFL in EPA per pass attempt (.20) among quarterbacks with more than 500 pass attempts, according to TruMedia. That’s one spot below Joe Burrow and one spot ahead of Matthew Stafford — both of whom have Super Bowl appearances. The Falcons don’t need Cousins to be as dynamic as Burrow and Stafford have been at times in their careers. They just need him to be what he has been for most of his 12 seasons: consistently good. That’s the key to all the other offensive players on this list, chiefly London, Pitts and Robinson, unlocking whatever potential they have.

The Falcons placed Cousins right next to Robinson in the makeshift locker room they used during the offseason due to construction at the main facility.

“He’ll say something that he’s done back in the day, and I’ll say, ‘I was born in 2002,'” Robinson said. “I think Kirk is old enough to be my dad, real talk. I love that dude, though.”

Everyone in Atlanta will be feeling that way if Cousins can make the Falcons relevant.

(Top photos of Kyle Pitts and Kirk Cousins: Alex Slitz and Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)

Josh Kendall , a Georgia native, has been following the Falcons since Jeff Van Note was the richly bearded face of the franchise. For 20 years before joining The Athletic NFL staff, he covered football in the SEC. He also covers golf for The Athletic. Follow Josh on Twitter @JoshTheAthletic